Yuli-Yoel Edelstein
Encyclopedia
Yuli-Yoel Edelstein is an Israel
i politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset
for Likud
and as the country's Minister of Information and Diaspora.
in the Soviet Union
(today in Ukraine
), Edelstein was an activist for Hebrew language
learning. In 1984 he was arrested for drugs possession. He spent three and a half years in a labour camp
in difficult conditions, and was seriously maimed. In 1987 he was released and allowed to immigrate
to Israel.
After arriving in Israel he started to participate in political life. Initially a member of the National Religious Party
and a vice-president of Zionist Forum, he founded the Yisrael BaAliyah party together with fellow Soviet dissident Nathan Sharansky. He was elected to the Knesset in 1996
, and was appointed Minister of Immigrant Absorption
in Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud
-led government
. He was re-elected in 1999, and was appointed Deputy Immigrant Absorption Minister by Ariel Sharon
in 2001.
He retained his seat in the 2003 elections, shortly after which Yisrael BaAliyah merged into Likud. Although Edelstein lost his seat in the 2006 elections, in which Likud was reduced to 12 seats (Edelstein was fourteenth on the party's list), he re-entered the Knesset as a replacement for Dan Naveh
in February 2007. He retained his seat in the 2009 elections
after being placed twelfth on the party's list, and was appointed Minister of Information and Diaspora in the Netanyahu government
.
The father of two, he lives in the settlement
of Neve Daniel
.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
for Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
and as the country's Minister of Information and Diaspora.
Biography
Born in ChernivtsiChernivtsi
Chernivtsi is the administrative center of Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine. The city is situated on the upper course of the River Prut, a tributary of the Danube, in the northern part of the historic region of Bukovina, which is currently divided between Romania and Ukraine...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(today in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), Edelstein was an activist for Hebrew language
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
learning. In 1984 he was arrested for drugs possession. He spent three and a half years in a labour camp
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
in difficult conditions, and was seriously maimed. In 1987 he was released and allowed to immigrate
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to Israel.
After arriving in Israel he started to participate in political life. Initially a member of the National Religious Party
National Religious Party
The National Religious Party ) was a political party in Israel representing the religious Zionist movement. Formed in 1956, at the time of its dissolution in 2008, it was the second oldest surviving party in the country after Agudat Yisrael, and was part of every government coalition until 1992...
and a vice-president of Zionist Forum, he founded the Yisrael BaAliyah party together with fellow Soviet dissident Nathan Sharansky. He was elected to the Knesset in 1996
Israeli legislative election, 1996
Elections for the fourteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 29 May 1996. Voter turnout was 79.3%.The 1996 elections included two new changes, both designed to increase the stability of the Knesset. First, the Prime Minister was to be elected on a separate ballot from the remaining members of the...
, and was appointed Minister of Immigrant Absorption
Immigrant Absorption Minister of Israel
The Ministry of Immigrant Absorption of Israel , known until 1951 as the Ministry of Immigration , a ministry in the Israeli government.In co-ordination with local authorities, the Ministry is responsible for new immigrants for three weeks after they arrive...
in Binyamin Netanyahu's Likud
Likud
Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
-led government
Twenty-seventh government of Israel
The twenty-seventh government of Israel was formed by Binyamin Netanyahu of Likud on 18 June 1996. Although his Likud-Gesher-Tzomet alliance won fewer seats that the Labor Party, Netanyahu formed the government after winning the country's first ever direct election for Prime Minister, narrowly...
. He was re-elected in 1999, and was appointed Deputy Immigrant Absorption Minister by Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
in 2001.
He retained his seat in the 2003 elections, shortly after which Yisrael BaAliyah merged into Likud. Although Edelstein lost his seat in the 2006 elections, in which Likud was reduced to 12 seats (Edelstein was fourteenth on the party's list), he re-entered the Knesset as a replacement for Dan Naveh
Dan Naveh
Dan Naveh is a former member of the Israeli Knesset for the Likud party, and a former minister in the Israeli government. Currently he is the founder and the Managing General Partner of Agate medical investments.-Biography:...
in February 2007. He retained his seat in the 2009 elections
Israeli legislative election, 2009
Elections for the 18th Knesset were held in Israel on 10 February 2009. These elections became necessary due to the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as leader of the Kadima party, and the failure of his successor, Tzipi Livni, to form a coalition government...
after being placed twelfth on the party's list, and was appointed Minister of Information and Diaspora in the Netanyahu government
Cabinet of Israel
The Cabinet of Israel is a formal body composed of government officials called ministers, chosen and led by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister must appoint members based on the distribution of votes to political parties during legislative elections, and its composition must be approved by a...
.
The father of two, he lives in the settlement
Israeli settlement
An Israeli settlement is a Jewish civilian community built on land that was captured by Israel from Jordan, Egypt, and Syria during the 1967 Six-Day War and is considered occupied territory by the international community. Such settlements currently exist in the West Bank...
of Neve Daniel
Neve Daniel
Neve Daniel is an Israeli settlement and communal settlement located in western Gush Etzion in the southern West Bank. Located south of Jerusalem and just west of Bethlehem, it sits atop one of the highest points in the area - close to 1,000 meters above sea level, and has a view of much of the...
.